BABYLON EUROPA 2026: The European Festival

This year’s focus is not on the final result, but on the journey toward it: Europe as a co-creation space.

Artists from various European countries and different disciplines—such as music, performance, dance, and theater—will come together in Berlin for a residency from June 17 to 21.

The artists’ work—drawing on their diverse languages, experiences, and artistic profiles—will result in a unique show that can only be experienced live at the Fête de la Musique.

This year, Christopher Blenkinsop (of 17 Hippies, among others) is the artistic director of Babylon Europa.

Look forward to a diverse program featuring artists from nine European countries. This year, impressive performances, rousing beats, and goosebump-inducing moments will be provided by Marta Ziółek (Poland), Cristina Negucioiu (Romania), Oleksandr Seleznov (Ukraine), Géraldine Carpentier-Doré (Belgium/Wallonia-Brussels), Della (Cyprus), Sheebaba (Luxembourg), Giulia Tagliavia (Italy), and Alexandra Alden (Malta).

The program on June 21, 2026

Starting at 2:00 p.m., a European village will take shape on the grounds of the ufaFabrik, featuring performances, encounters, open-format events, and street food from various corners of Europe. The exact performance times will be announced shortly here and on the Fête de la Musique website.

The audience is invited to a discussion on European perspectives on art and culture starting at 5:00 p.m.

Participants include Barbara Gessler (Head of the European Commission in Berlin), Lothar Sattler (Head of the Department of Federal and European Affairs, Media Policy), Zuzana Megová (Slovak Institute in Berlin, President of EUNIC Berlin), Kateryna Rietz-Rakul (Ukrainian Institute Berlin), and artists from the “Babylon Europa” program.

Together, we’ll make our way through the European alleys to the summer stage after additional shows.

At 8:00 p.m., the BABYLON EUROPA Show begins, the result of a week of collaborative, creative work.

Starting at 10:00 p.m., we’ll keep dancing into the Fête de la Nuit.

The residency from June 17 to 21 will be led by artistic director Christopher Blenkinsop (17 Hippies, among others), who is designing the program together with the artists. He says: “Music is—to put it simply—the sound of the world. And as long as we remain curious, listen to one another, and play and sing together, we can trust that we are shaping the future—rather than surrendering to the ghosts of the past.”

Hosts of BABYLON EUROPA 2026

Representation of East Belgium, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, and Wallonia in Berlin · Ukrainian Institute in partnership with GVL · Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus · House of Luxembourg – Maison du Grand Duché de Luxembourg à Berlin · Italian Cultural Institute – Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Berlino · Polish Institute Berlin · Romanian Cultural Institute Berlin · Slovak Institute · Maltese Embassy in Berlin

• BABYLON EUROPA is a project of EUNIC Berlin – The European Cultural Institutes, the network of European cultural institutes, and takes place in cooperation with the Berlin Senate Chancellery and the European Commission in Germany.